Corner guards are commonly attached to the lower exterior rounded corners of mattress foundations or "box springs", to protect the fabric which covers the foundation and foundation frame. Such corner guards typically extend in two dimensions about each corner; over a small area of the vertical side of the curved corner of the foundation, and over a small area of the bottom of the foundation adjacent the corner.
Foundation corner guards have heretofore been produced by molding a flat piece adapted to cover a small area of the vertical side of the rounded corners of a foundation, with securement tabs extending perpendicular from the flat piece to extend underneath the foundation for attachment to the bottom of the frame adjacent the corner. Such guards are installed upon the foundation by wrapping or bending the flat piece around the corner and securing the tabs to the foundation frame by fasteners driven through the tabs, the material over the foundation, and into the bottom of the frame members at the corners.
One disadvantage of this type of corner guard is the inherent structural weakness which is necessary to allow it to be bent around the corner. Even with secure attachment of the tabs of the guard to the frame, the right angle intersection of the tabs with the bent flat piece is not strong enough to prevent separation or peeling of the flat piece away from the corner upon application of even a relatively small force. Thus the guards can be easily damaged. Another disadvantage is the difficulty of correctly positioning the guard about the corner during manufacture so that the flat piece extends in equal distances from the mid-point of the curved corner. Other disadvantages are the difficulties of getting the flat piece to tightly conform to the curved vertical wall surface, and the resultant sloppy appearance of an ill fit. Even guards which appear to conform to the curve of the corner at the factory can be easily detached, broken or warped due to weakness induced by the post-molding bending. Also, the required bending precludes application of any type of finish to the exterior of the guard which would crack when the guard is bent around the curved corner.
It has been recognized in recent years that corner guards can be exploited in the marketing and product image enhancement of bedding foundations. Providing a finished appearance to the lower end of the rounded corners of mattress foundations is particularly important in the marketing and sale presentation of mattress foundations wherein the foundation corners are fully exposed. The appearance of the corners is especially important in the marketing and sale of superior quality mattress foundations which are displayed, for example, by placement in elaborate display stands in which the corners of the foundation are fully exposed from all angles, such as in a rotatable display stand.
As a result of the flat configuration molding process, corner guards of the prior art generally do not conform well to the curved foundation corners, and are structurally weak as a result of the necessary bending from the flat configuration. Moreover, corner guards of the prior art are rather unattractive, made in unremarkable in colors and shapes and without any finishes, and therefore have no particular sales value in the form of image enhancement of the finished product.